Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) celebrates after scoring a basket and drawing a foul during the second half of an WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever at Michelob Ultra Arena in Mandalay Bay Saturday, May 25, 2024.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 7:07 p.m.
The Las Vegas Aces (5-2) kicked off Commissioner’s Cup play with a bang on Wednesday, defeating the Dallas Wings (3-5), 95-81.
They are now 1-0 in the Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup standings, tied for first place with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm.
A’ja Wilson threw down a season-high 36 points and 12 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season.
“I love the game. I love the energy that we bring. I love the fun of it,” Wilson said. “That’s what drives me. Just hooping and knowing that there’s a young kid in the stands that’s amazed at us playing; it’s a blessing. It’s something that I don’t take for granted.”
It was an aggressive game for Wilson as she was hit in the face multiple times, drawing blood and not getting any calls from the contact. The no-calls eventually led to two technical fouls called on Aces coach Becky Hammon, who at one point had to be held back by guard Chelsea Gray.
“You’re not necessarily begging for calls, but you just want the right call,” Wilson said. “If we didn’t get it … we’re gonna keep playing, we’re gonna keep pushing, but one thing about our locker room and who we are is we’re not gonna back down.”
“We’re not expecting to get anything. We have to go out there and take everything.”
Tiffany Hayes saw her first action as an Ace after coming out of retirement to join the team on May 31.
She finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. It was her first action since Oct. 1, 2023.
“The staff has been really good with getting my body right before the games or before practices,” Hayes said. “It’s a good process, and I’m happy with it.”
Kelsey Plum (20 points) and Jackie Young (19 points) both broke into double scoring figures.
Despite reportedly dealing with illness earlier in the day, Young still started and played.
As a team, the Aces shot for 48% (34-of-70) from the field and 32% (9-of-28) from 3-point range.
The Aces continued to lock down on defense, holding the Wings to just 37% (28-of-74) shooting from the field and 20% (5-of-25) from 3-point range.
Las Vegas again struggled to keep its opponent off the free-throw line with the Wings downing 20 of 22 free-throw opportunities.
“A’s [Wilson] is bruised from head to toe,” Hammon said. “At some point, something’s got to kind of switch but that was a very, very physical game. It started to get out of control. A.C. [Alysha Clark] got whiplash. A’ja said she thought she was the Dallas Cowboys.”
WNBA leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale was held to just two points for Dallas at the end of the first quarter. She’d eventually find her game, finishing with 31 points.
Las Vegas returns home on Friday (ION) to face the Seattle Storm (6-3) at 7 p.m. at Michelob Ultra Arena.